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Thucydides

Thucydides (c. 460–c. 395 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian and an Athenian general. He is best known for History of the Peloponnesian War, a detailed account of the rivalry between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 404 BCE.

Life and career: Thucydides served as a general during the early years of the Peloponnesian War but

Method and style: Thucydides emphasized evidence, eyewitness testimony, and rational analysis of cause and effect. He

Legacy: Thucydides is often regarded as the father of scientific history for his empirical method and critical

was
exiled
after
his
failure
to
prevent
Brasidas
from
capturing
Amphipolis
in
424
BCE.
During
his
exile
he
resided
in
Thrace
and
Asia
Minor,
where
he
collected
documents,
examined
witnesses,
and
compiled
material
for
his
history.
He
wrote
in
Attic
Greek
and
aimed
to
present
events
with
clarity
and
precision.
sought
to
transcend
myth
and
divine
intervention,
focusing
on
human
actions
and
political
structures
to
explain
outcomes.
The
History
is
renowned
for
its
rigorous
chronology
and
its
use
of
speeches
to
illustrate
competing
viewpoints,
though
the
authenticity
and
exact
wording
of
those
speeches
are
subjects
of
scholarly
debate.
He
also
attempted
to
analyze
the
rise
and
fall
of
states
and
the
dynamics
of
power.
approach.
His
work
influenced
later
historians
and
the
development
of
historiography,
political
realism,
and
social
science
analysis.
While
celebrated
for
rigor,
his
narrative
reflects
Athenian
perspectives
and
the
limits
of
available
sources,
leading
to
ongoing
discussions
about
bias,
sources,
and
interpretation.